Center panel for upright player pianos.



W. A. BEIN.

' Paterited May 9, 1911.

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W A BEIN CENTER PANEL FOR UPRIGHT PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 10. 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

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WILLIAM A. BEIN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO B. SHONINGER(30., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORFORATION.

CENTER PANEL FOR UPRIGHT PLAYER-PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM A. BEIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Center Panelsfor Upright Player-Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact de scription ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of the panel-frame forming the upperportion of the front of an upright player-piano case. Fig. 2 a brokenview in rear elevation on a larger scale, showing the middle portion ofthe said panel-frame. Fig. 3 a view in vertical section on the line abof Fig. 2, the two leaves forming the center panel being shown in theirnormal or closed positions. Fig. 4c a corresponding view showing theupper leaf in its open position and the lower leaf in its clearanceposition. Fig. 5 a broken view in horizontal section on the line 0-61 ofFig. 4:, showing the upper and lower leaves in their open positions.

My invention relates to an improvement in the center panels for thecases of upright player-pianos, the object being to produce a simple,compact and convenient center-panel constructed with particularreference to presenting a neat and attractive appearance when open aswell as when closed.

lVith these ends in view my invention consists in certain details ofconstruction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaims.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a sectional vertical center-panelconsisting of an upper leaf 2 and a lower leaf 3 each of the same orsubstantially the same width, and hinged together by concealed hinges atso that when both leaves are in their normal or closed positions, thefact that the centenpanel is made in two pieces instead of in one pieceis only indicated by a horizontal line 5. The said leaves 2 and 3 arenormally located in the vertical plane in a rectangular opening 6 formedbetween the two intermediate uprights 7 and the top and bottom rails 8and 9 of the panel-frame forming the front of the upper portion ofSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 10, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911. Serial No. 586,265.

the piano-case, the said frame also containing end-panels 10,end-uprights 11 and an over-hanging molding 12 which extends entirelyacross the length of the panel-frame, which is located directly beneaththe horizontally arranged upper rail 8 and which is continued across theupper end of the upper leaf 2 for which purpose it is made in threesections so as to break joints at the edges of the said leaf 2 as at 12The said leaves 2 and 3 hinged together as described, are suspended, asit were, in the opening 6 aforesaid by means of hinges 13 the leaves ofwhich are respectively secured to the back of the lower leaf 3, and tothe inner faces of the intermediate uprights 7 of the panel-frame asclearly shown in Fig. 2, the

pintles of these hinges being located very close to the line 5 on whichthe adjacent edges of the leaves 2 and 3 come together and therefore atabout the middle of the vertical height of the said opening 6. The upperleaf 2 is held in its normal or closed position, by means of a yieldingcatch-button 14: mounted in the center of its upper edge, while thelower leaf 3 is held in its normal or closed position by means of aspring 15 engaging with its inner face, secured to one of the twointermediate uprights 7 and exerting a constant effort to swing it fromrear to front. A stop 16 carried by the lower leaf 3 and engaging withthe adjacent intermediate upright 7 prevents the said spring 15 frommoving the lower edge of the lower leaf 3 forward beyond the verticalplane. Normally the leaves 2 and 3 stand as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,the outer faces of the two leaves being in the vertical plane and thatportion of the molding 12 applied to the outer face of the upper leaf 2being in line with the remaining portions of the same molding.

To open the twopart center-panel for access to the player-mechanism,which is not shown, the upper leaf 2 is furnished with a button 17 bymeans of which the leaf is pulled forward against the friction of thecatch-button 14. hen the said upper leaf 2 is swung outward and downwardthe edge 18 of its molding 12, strikes the lower edge of the front faceof the lower leaf 3 which is then swung inward as shown by Fig. 4against the tension of the spring 15, into its clearance position inwhich it is stopped by apositioning bracket 19 attached to the innerface of the lower rail 9 of the panel-frame. By thus providing for theswinging of the lower leaf 3 of the two-part panel inward into aclearance position as shown in Fig. i, I am enabled to swing the upperleaf into a vertical position in which its forward projection is ofcourse lessened and in which it therefore is out of the way and presentsa far better appearance than if it were left in the inclined positionshown by broken lines by Fig. 4-, in which it would be left if I did notmake provision, as described, for the swinging of the lower leaf of thepanel in- Ward into what I call its clearance position. Now by bevelingthe inner face of the upper leaf 2 at its ends as at 20, (Figs. 2 and 5)these bevels, when the said leaf is in its open position, do away withthe objectionable thick edge and form an attractive finish for thecenter panel of the panel-frame. The upper leaf is held in its openposition by the catch-button 14 as also shown in Fig. 4. To restore theupper leaf to its closed position, its projecting lower edge is engagedand the leaf lifted sufficiently to nullify the action of thecatch-button 1i, whereupon the leaf may readily be drawn forward and.swung back into its closed position at which time the spring 15 acts toswing the lower leaf 3 forward from its clearance to its normal positionin which it is stopped by the finger 16.

By my invention, it am enabled to provide the upper edge of the upperleaf 2 of the panel with its appropriate part of the molding 12 and yetwhen the leaf is open, retire the molding, as it were, into the case sothat it does not compel an inclined position for the leaf when the sameis in its open position.

I claim 1. In an upright player-piano, the combination with apanel-frame having a vertical panel-opening, of a two-part panelconsisting of an upper and a lower leaf each of the same orsubstantially the same width, hinges uniting the said leaves, means forhinging the said lower leaf to the back of the said panel-frame at aboutthe middle of the vertical height of the said panelopening, and meansfor normally supporting the leaves in the vertical plane, the lower leafbeing pushed inward into its inclined clear ance position by the upperleaf when the same is swung into its open position.

2. In an upright player piano, the combination with a panel-frame havinga vertical central opening, of a vertical center-panel consisting of anupper leaf and a lower leaf, each of the same or substantially the samewidth, and the upper leaf being provided along its upper edge with aforward projection, hinges uniting the said leaves means for hinging thelower leaf to the back of the said panel at about the middle of thevertical height of the said opening therein, means for normally holdingthe upper leaf in its closed position, and a spring for normally holdingthe lower leaf in its normal position but permitting it to swingrearward into an inclined clearance position into which it is forced bythe forward. projection of the upper leaf when the same is swungforward, downward and rearward into its open position to open the upperportion of the panel-opening.

3. In an upright player piano, the combination with a panelfraine havinga vertical central opening, of a vertically ar ranged center-panelconsisting of an upper and a lower leaf, each of the same orsubstantially the same width, hinges uniting the said leaves, means forhinging the lower leaf to the back of the panel-frame at or about themiddle of the vertical height of the said opening therein, means forholding the said upper leaf in its open and closed positions, means forholding the lower leaf in its normal position but permitting it to beswung rearward into its inclined clearance position by the said upperleaf when the same is swung forward, downward and rearward into its openposition; and stops for limiting the swinging movement of the said lowerleaf.

f. in an upright player-piano, the combination. with a panel-framehaving a ver tical panel-opening, of a. two-part panel consisting of anupper and a lower leaf each of the same or substantially the same width,hinges uniting the said leaves, means for hinging the lower leaf to theback of the said frame at about the middle of the vertical height of thesaid panel-opening, a sectional molding extending across the top of thesaid panelframe and across the upper edge of the outer face of the saidupper leaf. and means for normally holding the said leaves in thevertical plane, the section of molding carried by the upper leaf beingentered into the bottom of the said panelopening when the upper leaf isswung into its open position atwhich time its said section of themolding pushes the lower leaf inward into its inclined clearanceposition.

in testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

lVM. A. BEIN.

Vfitnesses CLirroRn J. REED, Fnnnnnio C. EARLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, tvashington, D. G.

